Preparation and uses for polyarylates

1. A polyarylate comprising repeating units having the structure:

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of saturated and unsaturated, substituted and unsubstituted alkyl, aryl and alkylaryl groups containing up to 18 carbon atoms;

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of —CH═CH—, (—CH 2 —) a , and —CHN(L 1 L 2 ), in which a has a value from zero to eight, inclusive, and L 1 and L 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and straight and branched alkyl and alkylaryl groups containing up to 18 carbon atoms, provided that L 1 and L 2 are not both hydrogen;

b independently has a value between zero and eight, inclusive; and

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of straight and branched alkyl and alkylaryl groups containing up to 18 carbon atoms; and

wherein at least one of R, R 2 , L 1 , and L 2 contains at least one ether linkage and R 1 and (—CH 2 —) b of said repeating units are ring-substituted para to phenolic oxygens.

2. The polyarylate of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is —CH 2 —CH 2 —, b is one and at least one of R or R 2 contains at least one ether linkage.

3. The polyarylate of claim 2 , wherein R 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, ethyl, butyl, octyl and benzyl, and R contains at least one ether linkage.

4. The polyarylate of claim 3 wherein R is —CH 2 —O—CH— or —CH 2 —O—CH 2 —CH 2 —O—CH 2 —.

5. The polyarylate of claim 2 , wherein R is selected from the group consisting of —CH 2 ——C(═O)—, —CH 2 —CH 2 —C(═O)—, —CH═CH— and (—CH 2 —) z , wherein z is an integer between two and eight, inclusive.

6. The polyarylate of claim 5 , wherein R 2 is

—CH 2 —CH 2 —O—CH 2 —CH 2 —O—CH 2 —CH 2 —OH.

7. A cell growth substrate comprising at least one polymer surface consisting essentially of the polyarylate of claim 1 .